The US Department of Energy has created a fun map, showing what kinds of energy are produced in each state.
The size of each circle represents the volume of the energy produced in that state, and by clicking on each state, viewers can see a pie chart of the state’s energy production, between several types of fossil fuels (crude oil, coal, natural gas), nuclear power, biofuels and other types of renewable energy.
DOE says its data doesn’t currently allow it to break down “other renewable energy” any further, but it’s assumed to include hydropower, solar, wind and geothermal power.
The top five energy-producing states overall (Texas, Wyoming, Pennsylvania, Louisiana and West Virginia) are also the top five fossil energy-producing states. The combined fossil energy produced by these five states combined accounts for more than 42 percent of the total energy produced in the US each year.
By comparison, the bottom five energy-producing states (Rhode Island, Delaware, Hawaii, Nevada and New Hampshire, excluding Washington, DC) are responsible for producing only 0.2 percent of the nation’s energy, while they consume about 2 percent of the nation’s energy – a 10-fold difference in volume.
Biofuels are biggest in the Midwest, particularly in Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota and Illinois. This is predictable, as biofuels are produced through agricultural products like corn, which is the staple crop throughout that area.